The Bluestocking Pub - Withered Old Haggis edition.

[Boiledbeetle]

Previous thread 👇

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5387894-the-bluestocking-does-a-late-night-flit-again

Figured it was my turn for once!

Plus this way I beat the rush to the bar.

Now I must return to the previous thread to relocate my Tunnock's secret stash.

Serve yourselves until the bar gerbils arrive.

I have had the brood of hoglettes here from yesterday afternoon. Up at 5.45 am Went out this afternoon for my husbands birthday meal with extended family, so bouncy toddler, crawler and baby, and a lot of tag team caring, complete chaos.

back home toddler didn't want to go bed husband nodding off on settee.

me up and down putting toddler back in bed.

now all is quiet i should be in bed but enjoying the sound of silence.

no sign of lemon i might add (don't blame her)

I've popped back now all the hoglets are in bed! Wifey is having a well deserved deep sleep.

Somehow one of the hoglets has snuck into the pub and has nodded off! I'm coming across as a bit resentful in the image, I'm not! Promise!

I keep requesting "no presents' to Grok. It doesn't listen and there's more. Carried by a gerbil of course.

All this talk about kataifi reminded me that I have a pack of the vermicelli somewhere for making falooda and given that we are meant to have a whopping 21 C today that will be the perfect treat after a cycle ride.

The big juicy blackberries that come in early have been excellent here, the smaller harder ones that make good jelly are showing promise. There are loads of elderberries and apples coming on. The pears are few, far between, and minute. Just as well, since I'm allergic unless I cook them. Plums didn't happen at all. If it says dry I'll pick raspberries when I get back from crafts group, freeze some and eat others with cream and the excellent meringues that crafts group village's shop includes among its diverse and eccentric offerings.

I spent a few hours yesterday at a heritage event on a sunny south-facing hillside with a view of about 10 mile across a wide valley to a range of (Irish) mountains. Very beautiful. Lots of big thrushes on the drive there, they're probably enjoying all that fruit.

Glad Myrtle had a good day, very sorry Marie was attacked by a nasty Nordic open-faced sandwich buffet.

Thanks, Deano and others for your good wishes.

I'm feeling much better, back to what passes for normal chez Gournay.
I just have to accept that when somebody says 'Hey, let's all meet up in town for the afternoon!' no matter how inviting it sounds, it will start out being fun, but I'll run out of steam because it's beyond my limits, and there will be consequences 😶

So back to normal this week, including visits to the Bluestocking to meet with the regulars and enjoy your lovely stores about hoglets and chocolate and mellow fruitfulness and Myrtle managing to get downstairs💙

Yesterdays walk one of the others had sharper eyes and was more knowledgeable than me - she pointed out some weird ‘blackberries’ growing on the sandy heathland were probably a different species - the Seek app reckons European Dewberries, which I think is correct. I’d come across the term ‘dewberry’ before (I think as a colour description) but never realised they were a particular plant growing in these isles. Also a gone over broad-leaved helleborine and a burnet moth pupa on a feral asparagus stalk.

We had something come up in the allotment that must be a rasberry-bramble hybrid but nothing like the known hybrids. It fruits earlier than even the early raspberries, dark but not as dark as brambles, the fruit comes of the torus like a raspberry does, tastes distinctly different to either one, small inoffensive thorns. The branches are really fragile though. We took some cuttings but I think the fragility of the plants means they might not be suitable for proper planting and cropping. I never had enough to make something like jam with them, would be nice, I think.

We have a rowan which is beginning to fruit. As we lifted the crown and reduced its height in the winter, we’re pleased it’s doing so well. However, the berries are strictly for the birds.

The sun is shining and it’s warm out, so not only may I venture downstairs again later, I might extend my travels to “outside”, and sit in the garden.

I should investigate hybrid berries. Which reminds me, I got a small crop of honey berries in June which were delicious.

I'm considering moving/taking on an allotment with taps to each plot you can connect to a hose. It's getting drier and drier.

I also mull (very mull) moving further North where it's cooler! I don't like hot hot weather.

That said I can't complain about my tomato and chilli crops this year! And fruit trees seem okay.

Right off to sunbathe garden! Garden..may be in for a drink 🍷 later

My jam stocks are getting low and they’re selling plums at a reasonable price in our local supermarket so I might venture a few jars of plum and apple jam this week. Possibly apple and blueberry or plum and blueberry too if the blueberries are cheap.

Plum jam is very good. In other news I've lost my Kindle. I suspect @Bannedontherun has hidden it so I help with the hoglets.

I was just about to reread 'Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett' to help my poor brain recover from reading TRA stuff.

For those judging me for e-books, I don't have room for any more paper ones!

I have a fondness for loganberries because we had a bush in the garden when I was growing up. I've only ever had them from the garden. I swear I've never actually seen them on sale, or I'd buy some.

I'd like to investigate hybrid berries some more. There must be some interesting tastes out there.

But ... Easter Nests?

When I was a child, we had tinned loganberries with cream for pudding sometimes. I've never looked to see whether such a delicacy is still made ...

The garden is warm and sunny!

NONs have agreed to use the power tools in the garage, and this is the last weekend. They’re cutting metal for some reason for their new bathroom. Still noisy but not as noisy.

DH is disapproving but he has put a bottle of white wine in the freezer to chill, so I can enjoy it later. We don’t normally drink on a “school night “, but I rather fancy being a bit decadent, having been cooped up for so long.

yeah… much nicer if you just do cornflakes or rice crispies instead of attempting twigginess.

loganberries otoh - lush.

No judgement here - I'm in the same situation, only now instead of a huge stack of unread physical books I have an even larger stash of unread e-books.

My top tip is to put the Kindle app on your phone for instant access to your library at any time. I also. have mine on my iPad as I find that easier to read than the physical Kindle.

I got some raspberries picked (three small bags in the freezer the rest to eat after dinner) just before a heavy drizzle started. The rain must be washing spores and or pollen down to ground level because I came back into the house only slightly damp but with streaming eyes and nose. Most unpleasant.

Dinner is going to be not haggis but gluten-free black pudding (currently in the air fryer) and three mushrooms currently filled with butter and rotating in the microwave. Followed by those rasps. And accompanied by natural spring water filtered though old red sandstone and some Italian red wine.

Sounds great, Dean! I've got enrolment all day tomorrow so I'm just popping in to the Bluestocking to place my order for tomorrow night. I expect to have no voice by 17:15 - I think the hot chocolate bowser will be required, plus a large and very cheesy macaroni cheese.

@MarieDeGournay wrote
it will start out being fun, but I'll run out of steam because it's beyond my limits, and there will be consequences 😶

It is difficult, but I understand. I hope your tolerance improves.

It's not just physical energy you're using in a group of people, but social and emotional as well. It seems logical to think you can prepare by resting beforehand and afterwards, but just as athletes can run out of physical energy at the time you have limits for the other types, too.

I went outside!

It was lovely and the NDNs asked if we were up for company. They came round with wine, and we had a lovely few hours chatting and drinking.

Oh I’m glad to hear that Myrtle.

Yay for Myrtle getting outside, but boo hiss for Marie’s ailments. I hope Bessie is able to tend you better quickly. She has been working hard on my arm and energy today. I have done very little other than knit, with the sore arm propped up on a box.

I think the Bank Holiday must be over. No posts for 14 hours!

Knitting, listening to an audiobook. Washed my hair - always difficult with a jug and a sink and unable to stand up properly. Though I actually think the bathroom sink is not conducive to a jug hairwash even if I were mobile.